Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a Transylvanian nobleman and vampire created by Bram Stoker for his 1897 horror novel Dracula. As a vampire, he has become an ageless, centuries-old nocturnal creature who must sustain himself by feeding upon the blood of the living. His bite causes his victims to return to life as vampires too after they die. Although this isn't explicit in the book, the character of Dracula was partially based on - and is commonly equated with - the cruel 15th century Wallachian prince Vlad III; better known by the nickname Vlad the Impaler. Appearance In his first appearance, Dracula is described as an old man with a fearful semblance and white mustache. As a shapeshifter, he can also achieve a more youthful appearance, but his bestial nature is betrayed by some features such as pointed ears and teeth as well as hair on his hand palms. Abilities Dracula's abilities include: hypnotic suggestions, shapeshifting into a wolf, dog, bat or mist; and the ability to crawl on the walls like a gecko. Besides not being reflected on mirrors, vampires in Stoker's novel seem to interact (or rather not interact) with light in strange ways, as they cast no shadow and flames can be visible through their bodies. They're also capable of establishing psychic links with people whose blood they have fed upon. Furthermore, according to Van Helsing, the vampire is stronger than 20 men and capable of controlling the weather, giving commands to all sorts of animals, changing sizes and even disappearing occasionally. They are vulnerable to sunlight, crosses and garlic; and need to sleep on soil from their homeland in order to maintain their strength. Although they're creatures of the night, they aren't directly harmed by the sun, only weakened by it, and unable to shapeshift during the day. Biography Dracula lives in an old castle in the Carpathian Mountains with three vampire women who are described as sisters. Their relationship with Dracula isn't made clear, but they're generally referred to as "brides of Dracula" in other works. In the novel, he seeks the help of English solicitor Jonathan Harker to move over to London, bringing along numerous boxes containing Transylvanian soil. During the trip to England, he feeds on and kills all of the ship's crewmen. He develops a psychic connection with an asylum patient called Renfield, who becomes his ally. As he feeds on the blood of a young woman named Lucy Westenra (who is the best friend of Harker's fiancée), she's afflicted with a strange disease and dies, only to rise from her grave as a vampire and start feeding on the blood of children at night. The Dutch physician and connoisseur of the occult, Prof. Abraham Van Helsing, who had been called to treat Miss Westenra before her death, recognizes the symptoms of vampirism and, along with Dr. Seward, Harker and two other comrades, opens up Lucy's grave and decapitates her, putting an end to the vampire curse. They also manage to break into Dracula's property and destroy his boxes of Transylvanian soil, forcing him to move back to his homeland. However, Dracula at this point has also fed on the blood of Harker's fiancée Mina Murray, and the only way to prevent her from having the same fate as Lucy is to destroy the vampire who infected her. With this goal in mind the party follows Dracula back to Europe, using the psychic link created on his victims to their advantage as Van Helsing manages to hypnotize Mina and ask her about the Count's whereabouts. When they finally meet him, they damage his throat and his heart, killing him and causing his body to turn to dust; but not before revealing a peaceful semblance on his face, suggesting that his soul is now in peace as his humanity has been restored upon death. Other Works Despite being killed at the end, the character ended up being used in numerous works by other authors. He's featured as a central character in Kim Newman's alternate history series Anno Dracula, which is set in a world in which Dracula successfully killed Van Helsing and married Queen Victoria, assuming control of England as a result. Gallery Dracula-Original.jpg|Dracula in the original cover illustration. Dracula1902.jpg|Dracula illustrated in a 1902 edition, along with a bat and a wolf. Dracula.jpg|Bela Lugosi as Dracula. Dracula3.jpg|John Carradine as Dracula. Dracula-Hammer.jpeg|Christopher Lee as Dracula in the classic Hammer films. Dracula1970.jpg|Christopher Lee as Dracula in the 1970 film. Dracula-Blacula.jpg|Charles Macauley as Dracula in the film Blacula. Dracula-ChallengeOfTheSuperFriends.png|Dracula as he appears in Challenge of the Super Friends. Dracula-ScoobyDooAndTheReluctantWerewolf.jpg|Dracula as he appears in Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf. Dracula-TheBatman.jpg|Dracula as he appears in The Batman Vs. Dracula. Dracula-GrimAdventures.jpg|Dracula as he appears in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Dracula-LOEG.jpg|Mina hallucinates a swarm of bat Draculas in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Dracula Castlevania.jpg|Dracula as he appears in the Castlevania series. VladTepes.jpg|The real life Vlad Tepes, a.k.a. Vlad Dracula. See also *Count Orlok Category:Characters Category:Fictional Creatures Category:Males Category:Dead Characters Category:Sapient Beings Category:Sentient Beings Category:Shapeshifting Creatures Category:Vampires Category:Bloodsuckers Category:Psychic Creatures Category:Characters with teleportation Category:Characters with superhuman strength Category:Characters with superhuman agility Category:Literary Creatures Category:Comic Book Creatures Category:TV Show Creatures Category:Movie Creatures Category:DC Universe Category:Diogenes Club Universe Category:The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Universe Category:Scooby-Doo Universe Category:Characters Portrayed by Bela Lugosi Category:Characters Portrayed by John Carradine Category:Characters Portrayed by Christopher Lee Category:Characters Portrayed by Charles Macaulay Category:Characters Portrayed by Zale Kessler Category:Characters Portrayed by Hamilton Camp Category:Characters Portrayed by Phil LaMarr Category:Characters Portrayed by Rudolf Martin Category:Characters Portrayed by Gary Oldman Category:Characters Portrayed by Peter Stormare Category:Characters Portrayed by Adam Sandler Category:Human Compatible Category:Creatures Created by Bram Stoker Category:Characters Portrayed by David Boat Category:Characters Portrayed by Jeff Bennett Category:Characters Portrayed by Neil Hopkins Category:Characters Portrayed by Corey Burton Category:Characters Portrayed by Kevin Shinick Category:Characters Portrayed by Sam Witwer Category:Characters Portrayed by Frank Welker Category:Characters Portrayed by Tom Kenny Category:Characters Portrayed by Liam O'Brien Category:Characters Portrayed by Fred Tatasciore Category:Wall Crawling Creatures Category:Characters Debuting in 1897 Category:Characters Portrayed by Harley Castro